On Wednesday morning, Borders announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy. As one of the first steps in bankruptcy proceedings, the nation’s second largest bookstore chain will be closing 200 of its stores and firing 6,000 of its 19,500 employees in the next few weeks.

It’s also worth pointing out that Borders has stiffed publishers for hundreds of millions of dollars. A recent Publishers Weekly breakdown reveals that Penguin Group (USA) is owed $41.1 million, Hachette is owed $36.9 million, Simon & Schuster is owed $33.8 million, Random House is owed $33.5 million, and HarperCollins is owed $25.8 million.

With thousands of jobs disappearing, hundreds of millions of dollars lost in bankruptcy limbo, and vital physical space possibly being taken up by other hands or converted into new retail areas that will have little to do with books, it would be a severe mistake to suggest that this won’t have a sizable impact on the book industry. On the other hand, now that the inevitable has occurred, the time has come to examine whether losing a Borders near you means losing the physical bookstore experience.

Laura Kuechenmeister, who handles events and marketing for the Albuquerque indie Bookworks, suggested in a recent blog post that it has become necessary for independents to work together to promote book culture. If the Borders closings represent an opportunity for the indies, then the moment has arrived for indies to serve as optimal community bookstores.

Yet it has been put forth by a few shortsighted pundits that “the space won’t come back.” Certainly many of the regular customers will shift to online spending and e-books. Sarah Weinman has proposed that the Borders closing represents the end of the chain bookstore era, suggesting that “we’ll look back and realize massive superstore chain bookstores were the subprime loans and credit default swaps of the publishing industry.”

In the next few years, booksellers will need to transform their operations in which physical space and community matters and those vital connections with customers become more personal and long-term. And the vital question we have to ask now is what the present bookstore grid looks like. As you can see from the list below, in most cases, there is an independent bookstore within ten miles from a closed Borders.

We should not discount the reality that some Borders closings will have a serious impact on communities, especially in rural areas within Colorado, Florida, and Ohio. Yet my investigations have also revealed that there are a great number of independent bookstores, often in unexpected areas. These independent bookstores are run not by faceless corporations, but passionate book lovers who very often read the books they stock. Their stock is, in most cases, almost exclusively physical books.

In a USA Today article from last week, Fordham University marketing professor Albert Greco estimated that Borders has about 8.1% of the total book market. However, it’s worth pointing out that most of Borders’s 500 stores have opened up only in the last decade. How much of this 8.1% will move on to other physical bookstores? It is my hope that, in assembling this list, I have given that 8.1% share of the marketplace a very good reason to continue to support bookstores, especially those bookstores run by people who are interested in supporting the community.

Methodology: The list of 200 Borders bookstores was obtained from court records. I located the alternative bookstores using a variety of online sources (Indiebound, Yelp, Citysearch) and attempted to include independent bookstores that were favorably reviewed by customers. Mileage was calculated by ZIP Code. As of February 18, 2011, I have confirmed that all of the following bookstores all remain open for business. I have also eliminated the two Puerto Rico bookstores that are closing. Like the Hawaii situation, if a Borders store closes on an island, chances are that you’ll have to go for a swim to find an alternative. I encourage the readers to leave comments if there are independent bookstores that I have overloooked or if the information is inaccurate. I will happily amend the list to account for any late-stage crowdsourcing.

2/20/11 UPDATE: Thanks to all who have spread the link around and offered additional alternatives in both the comments and on Twitter. I have amended the list to reflect this input. Please be advised that the criteria involves bookstores that are close to a closing Borders. So if I have missed your favorite independent bookstore, it is probably because there were other bookstores that were closer to the closed Borders in question. Nevertheless, I have added all received suggestions. Please feel free to continue with the comments and I will offer another update.

7/19/11 UPDATE: As of Monday, July 18, 2011, Borders could not find a buyer. It will be closing all of its stores. In the next few weeks, I will be preparing a revised list incorporating these new stores, along with the data we have generated from this list. Thanks to all for your continued input.

Borders Bookstore #95
4030 Nawillwill, Lihue, HI 96766Alternatives:
Unknown aside from Kona Stories. Hawaii, being a group of islands, is particularly hard hit by the Borders closings. However, there are three Barnes & Nobles located in Hawaii — two in Honolulu, one in Maui.

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[…] Edward Champion put together a list of indie bookstores located near closing Borders. It covers all 200 stores and is a pretty extensive list, so I won’t copy it here. You can find it on his blog. […]

Hi Thanks for making a list of local independent bookstores. I was wondering if you could add my store to the list. It is The Village Bookstore 8140 Main St. Garrettsville Ohio 44231. It is about 35 miles from Mentor, Ohio. Also the Joseph Beth Bookstore at Legacy Village sadly closed in Dec. Thanks.

In case the list is being revised, please include Alamosa Books as one of the Albuquerque alternatives. We celebrate our one year anniversary in April, and consider ourselves a viable alternative to filling the void left by the closing of one of the local Borders. Thanks for shedding light on this issue for us.

Please include Alamosa Books as an alternative to the Albuquerque, New Mexico closure of Borders. We celebrate our one year anniversary in April, and look forward to being a part of the community for many years to come.http://www.alamosabooks.com

There’s another book store in Tampa. For Borders Bookstore #171, there’s an independent book store about a block away: Book Swap of Carrollwood. http://www.bookswapfl.com/ at 13144 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL.

Thank you for gathering and publishing such an extensive list of bookstores. As a 22 year Borders employee that was let go last year during the wind-down of reorganization, it is heartening to see that books are still available for purchase in so many places.

To the retail outlets listed, I would encourage people to get a library card and support their local libraries by checking out books, sorting donations and working at library book sales. This will allow those who can’t afford to purchase books the opportunity to read and benefit from them.

Your list also deeply wearies me. During my time with Borders, I travelled to many of these stores, trained many of the managers, answered many of their calls, walked with them through the May ABA Vendor Expos. The lists aren’t just stores that are closing, they are the faces of employees who are losing jobs they love, and the long attempt to find another as fulfilling in a very difficult economy.

Please, continue to support the Borders that remain open. Please see, when you pass by the shuttered shops or enter the ones still open; the staff are not “faceless corporations, but passionate book lovers who very often read the books they stock.” Your quote is just as apt for your neighbors, Borders store employees, as they are of their independent partners.

As an alternative to Borders Bookstore #490 in Chapel Hill, NC, the Bull’s Head Bookshop on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill is the largest independent trade bookstore in Chapel Hill, and has been in operation since 1925.

Chapters A Literary Bookstore no longer has a physical store in Washington, DC, though it continues to sponsor events. An indie alternative to the Borders store at 1801 & L STS, NW is Kramerbooks and Afterwords, 1517 Connecticut AV, NW. Kramerbooks is just north of Dupont Circle and about 1/2 mile from the Borders store.

I really appreciate what you have done here by listing the bookstores that are close to the closing Borders stores. I especially appreciate the fact that you included my store: Bay Books in San Ramon, California.
I will Tweet and Facebook this link.

I don’t see Roseville or Sacramento in California. Many used book stores regularly sell almost new books, and some will order new books. In my experience, all of the stores I have visited have been very friendly and helpful, even when answering questions over the phone about book availability and price.

Unfortunately, the Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles has closed. However, the independent bookstore where I work, Diesel A Bookstore, is 6 miles away from the closed Borders on Santa Monica Blvd and has already been visited by previous Borders customers. I would greatly appreciate it if you included us in your list!

Just wanted to point out that, in your list of indies in Austin, TX, you gave the URL for Bookman/Bookwoman in Nashville, TN, when you meant to use this one [http://www.monkeywrenchbooks.org/] for MonkeyWrench Books in Austin. But thanks for the other great recommendations!
And BTW, you might also want to mention 12th Street Books in Austin [https://www.12thstreetbooks.com/index.php/] which, while it’s a true indie, carries mostly “books on diverse subjects but specializing in literary first editions, fine bindings, small-press books, and books by and about Texas writers.” I haven’t been there yet, but my sister knows the owner — so I figure it must be okay!

Thank you for taking the time to do this! Huge kudos to you. I have a correction to the Gig Harbor, Washington store. The mileage you have listed is way off and I realized that is because you have the Gig Harbor zip code listed as “98355” when it is actually “98335.” King’s books in phenomenal by the way, I was very glad to see that on there.

I notice that you list a Half-Price Books in Ft. Worth as an alternative to the closed Borders in Burleson, TX. There’s actually a Half Price location very close to that Borders–at the other end of a long stretch of stores just of the interstate. 12616 S. Freeway
Burleson, TX 76028

Thank you so much for letting me know about Weekend Reader in Balch Springs. That store is only a few miles from my house – closer to me than Borders was, actually! – and I had no idea it was there. I’m so thrilled to find this store, as Paperbacks Plus is mostly used books, and the only other bookstores I was aware of in the area were either used book stores or Christian book stores. Somehow I doubt LifeWay is going to be willing to stock my favorite werewolf urban fantasy series.

Okay, folks, I’ve gone through all of your comments and added your bookstores (up until this comment: please note, future Ed!). My apologies for the delay. I’ve been overwhelmed by the response. What’s most helpful is if you can tell me what specific Borders your store is serving as an alternative to. For people who weren’t added, I have emailed for additional clarification. I will try to sort out the mileage situation on some entries later. I felt the most important thing to do was to get the stores listed.

I could be wrong, having never made the drive, but I’m pretty sure that Springfield, IL is considerably farther than 0.2 to 2.7 miles from Wichita, KS, what with there being a whole other state between them. (I’m not familiar enough with either to know if you just listed the wrong city or if you put the listings under the wrong state, however.)

Also, while I’m sure it would be pain to list them all, it should be noted that the library is also an excellent alternative.

We are very much going to miss our Borders in Austin:
3309 Espernza Crossing, Austin, TX 78758 <– this Borders is in South Austin

All *three* of the "closest independents" are in North Austin — far from normal ranging ground for anyone down here.

Oh and the Southpark meadows location is even FARTHER south. It'd probably be closer to go to Kyle for a bookstore than Round Rock — it would certianly be faster once you take into account Austin traffic.

Some Borders stores closed leading up to the announcement, including the one here in Bloomington, IN. We have several fine alternatives including Howard’s Bookstore and The Book Corner, not to mention several stellar used book stores.

[…] Champion’s Reluctant Habits,” a literature and culture blog, has generated a state-by-state list of independent bookstores located in the vicinity of the Borders’ that have closed/gone out of business. I hope […]

[…] have you checked the IndieBound store finder? Plug in your address and see what’s nearby! Edward Champion has also compiled a list of indie alternatives here. Are you in a bit of a bookstore desert? Before you open up an account with that big online-only […]

[…] have you checked the IndieBound store finder? Plug in your address and see what’s nearby! Edward Champion has also compiled a list of indie alternatives here. Are you in a bit of a bookstore desert? Before you open up an account with that big online-only […]

Another alternative to the closing Borders in Ithaca NY: Buffalo Street Books in the DeWitt Mall between Cayuga and Tioga Streets. About to take brief transitional nap before reopening as a community run cooperative in April.

If you lived in my area–Columbus, OH–you would understand that none of these shops is an acceptable substitute for Borders. Also, the two stores listed are quite close together, both clustered in the northwest corner of the city. The Book Loft is large and carries a wide selection, but it’s also rambling, requires a map, and does not have the same kind of community feel (in terms of being a gathering place). Most of the other shops are storefronts. Few have a respectable selection of periodicals. Furthermore, few of them are actually located convenient to the neighborhoods that Borders serviced. Most are on the main drag (High Street) and several are much closer to downtown.

Several of the stores you’ve listed pull at least part of their stock from the local Half Price Books’ clearance department (I used to speak to Karen Wickliff regularly; she seemed like a nice lady). Half Price Books on Lane Avenue is probably the closest to Borders outside of Barnes and Noble, but believe me when I say that the only thing these proposed replacements have in common with the two stores that are closing is that they all sell books.

As an alternate to the Borders Bookstore #362, I think Mysterious Galaxy Books is the best independent bookseller in San Diego, CA, even if it’s a bit of a drive from the 6th Ave Borders location (maybe a 15 minute drive). Of the other bookstores listed as alternates two are focused on used books rather than new. Mysterious Galaxy is all new books as far as I know.

[…] in many, but not all of the communities where stores will be closed. A cursory look at the initial list of two hundred superstore closings reveals that over half lie beyond a five-mile driving radius from their nearest indie […]

for hawaii the last ones listed under kona that say kauai are not on kauai only the one with the link…. we are all super bummed borders is one of my favorite shops and kauai’s only major book store and in hawaii that means ordering books or waiting till we fly to oahu to buy them but with the plane fares rising and the additional charges for baggage soon we will have paid more in shipping or gone fully digital… i highly doubt we get power outs every month due to storms ha ha

For the Borders Bookstore #330 511 Bolyston Street, Boston, MA 02116, there is also Porter Square Books at 25 White St, Cambridge, MA, 02144. It is less than a mile from the Harvard Bookstore listed. Here is their website: http://www.portersquarebooks.com/

There’s a local shop in Broomfield, CO–not too bad of a drive from anywhere in the greater denver area–called Calico Books. We’re right off Hwy 36 and Hwy 287 across from Target. 99% used books, take books in on trade, and I can order books. 🙂

[…] not scheduled for closure, but both Gig Harbor and Lynnwood will lose stores. Edward Champion has compiled a list of alternate independent bookstores near each of the closing locations. If you know of an additional bookstore (or few), that Champion […]

My wife and I have just recently opened this independent used bookstore in historic Winter Garden, a close alternative to Borders #254 in Ocoee and Borders #279 in Orlando. We sell like new, pre-owned, and collectible books. You can also purchase books online through our website.

Thanks for all the hard work that has gone into the list. If you can add us to the list for alternatives for any Metro Atlanta store, that would be great. We are closest to store 298 but also are close to #411 for many of their shoppers.
We would love to see more faces at our store and also would love to extend a hiring opportunity to displaced employees. http://www.thebookwormonline.com is our contact info.

Secret Passages has moved to Costa Mesa, but we (A Castle of Books) are located at 4302 Atlantic Ave, in Long Beach, CA 90807. Not perhaps a direct substitute since we are predominantly a used book store, but certainly we can supply a great deal of reading material.